James Williamson
James Randal Williamson (January 19, 1931 – September 1, 2006) was the 1st President of Duwamish and is regarded as the "Father of Duwamish". Born in Skykomish, then part of the United States, Williamson and his family moved to Dawson when he was eight. Later educated at the Olympic College nearby, Williamson met future wife Laura Lerner during their political science classes and married her on December 24, 1954. They had a son one year later named Tyler, who would later serve as president from 1988 to 1992. Williamson was originally an accountant in Kalama until September 1958, when he began an independence movement at the Dawson Star Café. He formed the Duwamish Succession Coalition (DSC) in 1959 and began holding bimonthly protests at the Territorial Capitol. After the Treaty of Dawson was signed by the United States on May 13, 1963, Williamson was sworn-in as Acting President and later served four terms until April 2, 1968. As president, Williamson implemented new political and economic initiatives to encourage environmentally-friendly industries. His other agendas included cleaning up Lake Montero, which had become polluted and toxic due to companies in Lakeside. Economic growth skyrocketed during his term and public support steadily rose to peak at 95% in his third term. Williamson left office in 1968, succeeded by Vice President Laurnet Jackson. The former president remained politically active, endorsing several successful presidential candidates and writing two memoirs, A New Idea, A New Nation and An Unrestricted View of the Birth of a Nation, released in 1974 and 1991, respectively. He died in 2006 of cardiac arrest, aged 75, in Washington, D.C. prior to a scheduled ceremony in which U.S. President George W. Bush was supposed to present him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, later awarded posthumously in 2007. His state funeral was attended by over twelve million people, including heads of state and dignitaries from around the world. He was buried in the Young National Cemetery and his grave is visited by more than two million visitors annually. Early life and career James Randal Williamson was born in a one-story home in the rural town of Skykomish, Duwamish Territory on January 19, 1931 to Homer Edward Williamson and Margret Carter Williamson. Williamson's father was of Scot ancestry, while his mother was of English ancestry, her family originating from the Bristol area. Williamson had one younger sister, Carrie Williamson Meyer (1934–1999), who married future president Dan Meyer. During Williamson's childhood in the Great Depression, his family moved to Dawson when he was eight so his father could earn a better salary as a radio broadcaster. He attended school at Jefferson Primary and Secondary School, which was later renamed in his honor in 2008. As a child, he was taught about several major religions and their ideals by his parents, who encouraged him to worship independently. While he was brought up as a Christian like his parents, he embraced Atheism as his religious beliefs and kept it until his death. His family had saved enough money to afford sending Williamson, and later his sister, to Olympic College for higher education. Accounting Duwamish Succession Coalition Presidency Family and personal life Later life Death and state funeral See also